638 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



making essays on the shores of the Mediterranean, we have 

 been authorised by the marine administration to venture 

 some in the pond of Thau, in some ponds in Languedoc, 

 in the gulf of Fos, and in the pond of Berre, which have 

 related specially to the artificial reproduction and rearing 

 of the Portuguese oyster. 



Our operations in artificial fecundation practised upon 

 natives of the Gironde have after some mishaps completely 

 succeeded. M. Hardy, the chief of the marine adminis- 

 tration at Cette, whom we made familiar with our methods, 

 wrote to us three weeks after the commencement of our 

 experiments, that the fecundation resulted 65 times out of 

 100 in the formation of a moving larva. 



This is nearly the average obtained at Verdon. Nothing 

 further remained to be done but to disperse these larva in 

 a favourable sphere and to place collectors in the vicinity. 

 The rock of Rouqueyrol, situated in the middle of the pond 

 of Thau, having appeared to us a suitable spot, we laid 

 down around it tiles plastered with chalk. 



But we did not take into account the marauders, that 

 is, the sea poachers, who in one night succeeded in 

 destroying our plant and breaking up our apparatus. 



It was impossible for us to recommence our experi- 

 ments on account of the lateness of the season when this 

 took place. We cannot doubt, after what we saw, and with 

 our experience in these matters, that one would speedily 

 succeed in propagating the oyster in the Mediterranean by 

 means of the processes of artificial fecundation which we 

 have employed. As respects rearing, we have remarked 

 that the Portuguese oyster accommodated itself very well to 

 the waters of our southern sea ; but we shall be unable to 

 obtain the exact measure of the rapidity of its growth until 

 we have made essays in keeping it in cases, a mode of 



